No single plan
Japanese Buddhist temples (tera or ji) vary widely. A great Nara compound, a Zen monastery in Kyoto, a mountain temple on a pilgrimage route and a small town temple can all look quite different. Layouts changed through time and differ by school, such as Tendai, Shingon, Pure Land, Zen and Nichiren communities. What follows is a general guide to the buildings you are likely to meet, not a rule for any one temple.
The early formal compound
In the sixth to eighth centuries, when Buddhism was establishing itself in Japan under influence from Korea and China, the typical temple was a walled, formal compound laid out along an axis. The main buildings included:
- Main gate (nandaimon or chumon), the front entrance, often with guardian figures; see the guardians described in material on temple guardian figures.
- Pagoda (to), for relics and as a symbolic centre.
- Golden hall or main hall (kondo), housing the principal images.
- Lecture hall (kodo), where monks gathered for teaching and study.
- Cloister (kairo), a covered corridor enclosing the central area.
The arrangement of pagoda and halls changed over time. Sources often describe early patterns in which the pagoda stood prominently in front of the main hall, while at Horyu-ji the pagoda and golden hall stand side by side. At Todai-ji in Nara, the Great Buddha Hall dominates the site, and the scale shows its role as a state temple. These are broad generalisations, and scholars still discuss the details.
Supporting buildings
A larger compound normally has additional structures:
- Bell tower (shoro). The temple bell is rung for services and, at the end of the year at many temples, 108 times, a number commonly linked to human worldly desires.
- Sutra repository (kyozo). A store for scriptures.
- Dining hall (jikidō or shokudo) and monks’ quarters.
- Founder’s hall (mieido or kaisando), dedicated to the temple’s founder or an important teacher.
- Sub-temples (tatchu), smaller temples within the grounds, found at large Zen complexes.
- Pilgrim stamp office, where visitors can have a seal added to a stamp book; see nokyocho stamp book.
Change over time
By the Heian period (794-1185), Tendai and Shingon teachings encouraged temples built on mountains, which meant layouts followed the terrain rather than a flat axial plan. Shingon Buddhism has a centre at Mount Koya, where halls and pagodas are spread through a forested setting. Pure Land devotion inspired halls to Amida Buddha built as symbolic paradises, with the Phoenix Hall at Byodoin near Kyoto the best-known example.
Zen temples developed a more standardised plan, sometimes described as the “seven-hall compound,” with a gate, a Buddha hall, a dharma hall, a monks’ hall, a kitchen, a bath and a latrine, arranged in an orderly sequence. These details differ among sources. Zen temples also became known for their gardens, discussed at Zen temple gardens, and for subtemples around a central complex. Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto is a pavilion-style building originally connected to a shogunal residence, showing how the line between temple and villa was fluid.
Approaching the temple
Many temples have an approach road (sando) lined with trees, lanterns or shops. A first gate may stand at the foot of a hill, a second gate at the entrance to the main grounds. Near the entrance there is usually a water basin where visitors rinse their hands. After purifying, visitors go to the main hall, where they may bow briefly, place a coin in the offering box, put their palms together and bow again. Customs depend on the school and the temple, and signs often explain local practice; see Japanese temple etiquette.
Shrines next to temples
In Japan, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines are separate institutions, though they have a long history of coexistence, and some compounds contain both. A torii gate and a shrine hall mean a Shinto area, while a sanmon gate and a hall with Buddha images mean a Buddhist one. Different etiquette applies, such as clapping at shrines but usually not at temples.
Visiting notes
Many temples charge entry for special areas or gardens, and the times and fees change. Some inner halls are closed except on special days. Photography is often forbidden inside halls. If you stay at a temple, see temple stay Japan for what to expect. Check current official sources, dress modestly and speak quietly, as customs vary.